Gossip, girl! When GL wants dish, we hit up the most dependable sources. That's why we asked real readers to spill on what it is to be tangled up in the land of gossip. Because we don't want to risk misinterpretation, we're giving it to you word for word. And to avoid schoolwide verbal outbreaks, these gals will remain anonymous (kinda like the one who narrates on--what else?--Gossip Girl). Here's the dirt, straight up....

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What, a World Without Gossip?

"Gossip is a big part of my life," one reader 'fesses. "My whole grade is all about that six-letter word: g-o-s-s-i-p. It's sometimes hard not to join in, especially when you love to talk, like me."

To gossip is to be human--studies prove it. Almost everybody has engaged in some form of gossip. It helps people feel connected and builds friendships.

"My friends and I all gossip about our other friends," another GL reader spills. "We talk about how mean they are, how they're spreading rumors about so-and-so, who likes who, and who is just so fake. We talk about who is too obsessed with Hollister, who dumped who, who is wearing the coolest orange shoes, and who is too clingy. Basically, we dish dirt on people. It's not nice, but if it doesn't leave our circle ... it's OK, right?" Is it?

Gossip Can Hurt, Girls

Gossip, in moderation, isn't necessarily a bad thing. But when the talk is mean-spirited and malicious, it can hold the power to do serious damage to a girl's social existence. It's one thing to group-bash, let's say, Heidi Montag's lack of talent. It's entirely another to wage psychological warfare on a random (or meticulously targeted) someone in your science class--or cheerleading squad ...

"My first experience with gossip was at a small private school," one reader remembers. "I was a cheerleader but not all that popular. I was friendly with two new girls, but a previous friendship with another cheerleader had fallen apart. For some reason it got into my classmates' heads that I had lice, a totally untrue statement. The rumor spread all over school, and since it was my word against everyone else's, nobody was on my side. It got so bad that as soon as I turned to walk away from my classmates, they would check each other for lice.

"My mom had to see the principal, who went to my cheer coach. She had a policy about gossip, and apparently it was that 'friend' who'd spread the rumor. After a big ordeal, everything was straightened out, damage control done and the entire cheer team threatened to disband if there was ever another incident. It still was hard for me to look at the girl who started the rumor, and we were never friends again. I think of that period as one of the darkest in my life."

Don't Do it Online!

Perhaps you already know of the severe teen smear campaigns that can take place over the Internet (see sidebar, far right). But even if you intend for your "gawd, she's sooo lame" message to be private, it can be blasted to other buds with the mere push of a button. This girl's crew learned the hard way:

"My friends and I were having a bit of friendship trouble. Well, actually, a lot of friendship trouble. Two of my friends used e-mail to let out their feelings behind each other's backs. Both ended up receiving the e-mails through friends who forwarded it. Many feelings were hurt, but we learned that an e-mail is not a smart place to let out your hurtful thoughts. All of us are close again, and I just want to inform other girls to really be careful about what you send because anyone can read it." Thank you for that.

The Chain of Miss Communication

You know that game Telephone you played in, like, first grade? The teacher whispers a sentence in the first student's ear, and it's passed on until everyone has heard it. The statement is usually completely different by the time it reaches the end of the phone-game chain. It's the same deal with real-life gossip....

"I'm going to be completely honest. A lot of girls, most in fact, gossip about other people we know," confides a GL reader. "Whether they say, 'I don't like Jenna's new haircut' or 'OMG, Jenna is so annoying!' it gets twisted and turned down a long line until it reaches Jenna and instead of its original 'I'm not sure I like Jenna's haircut very much,' it gets turned into 'Ew, Jenna is so ugly with that heinous cut!'" That's what we're talkin' about.

Turn the Talk Around

Why let yourself get sucked into the gossip cycle? We love this reader's advice on pulling the ol' switcheroo: "I admit, my friends gossip often, but I try to focus on the positives. The other day, one friend said, 'Did you see what so-and-so is wearing? What a whore!' My response was, 'Her shirt is actually really cure, but that skirt is nowhere near dress code,' and moved on to a different subject." Great way to, uh, skirt the issue.

Is it ever OK to spill? This GL girl says it best: "I try not to gossip. Though when a secret someone has told me can in any way be dangerous or harmful, I don't hesitate to tell." Enough said.

The Gossip Grove

Hey! Here is what some other GL girls have to say about the hot topic of gab....

"I once told these guys my friend's secret because I felt bad about myself, and when they made fun of her I felt better. But I almost lost my friend, and I realized I was being a bully. You should zip and lock your mouth when a friend confides in you."

"I have actually tested this theory: My friend and I came up with a rumor about someone (we didn't use names), then figured out how fast word traveled. It went to many people quickly and even got twisted quite a bit."

"If something is going around school and everybody knows, I'll mention it to my friends. But if I am sworn to secrecy, I won't tell anybody. (Sometimes I tell my sister, but she is three Grades ahead of me.)"

"If the gossip won't cause much harm, I'll tell but am very specific about who I tell. If the person is trustworthy and knows how to keep a secret, I go ahead and spill. But beware! People aren't always what they seem. If you dish a hee-yuge secret about yourself to a rumormonger, your rep can be destroyed in minutes."

"I don't spill my friends' secrets to anyone other than my mom. I know she will keep a secret and can help figure out what to do if it is a problem."

Gossip Gone Very, Very Wrong

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It started with a friend fight and ended in suicide. You may have heard the reports about Megan Meier, 13, who killed herself over a breakup with a boy she'd met on MySpace. Only, her crush wasn't real. "Josh's" page was created by a friends mother. Megan and her friend had had a falling out, and the woman wanted to find out what Megan might be saying behind her daughter's back. So she pretended to be "Josh," a boy who claimed he wanted to get to know Megan. A month into the online relationship, Josh turned on Mega, saying he'd heard she was mean to her friends. "Megan is a slut" and "Megan is fat" were posted on bulletins. Minutes after reading the messages, Megan, who had a history of depression, hanged herself. This sadly shows the destructive power words can hold.